WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) -- Frank Vincent has died at 78 after suffering from heart issues.

The Blast reports friends of the former "Sopranos" actor sent a message confirming his death, alerting them to a future memorial service.

According to TMZ he had a heart attack last week and underwent open-heart surgery on Wednesday. He reportedly died during the procedure.

Vincent played Phil Leotardo, Tony Soprano's rival on the show where he would eventually become the boss of a crime family.

He also acted in various movies directed by Martin Scorsese such as "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," and "Casino." Vincent is well known for a line he said in "Goodfellas" during a scene at a bar.

He tells one of his fellow co-stars of the movie, "go home and get your shinebox." In an interview from 2013, Vincent said not many days went by when someone didn't recite that line to him.

Before acting, Vincent was a professional musician with his own band. He played piano, trumpet and drums and showed off his skills during various night club gigs, according to his official website.

He was a first generation Italian-American from New Jersey and was awarded Italian-American Entertainer of the Year Award by the Italian Tribune. Vincent also received a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for his role with "The Sopranos" in 2008.

In an interview with Men's Fitness, Vincent was asked what the biggest lesson he's learned from show biz has been. The actor cited the ability to have humility.

"The biggest lesson probably would be to have a little humility and to realize that people are people and that everyone’s different," Vincent said. "People approach you in a different way when you’re a celebrity—some are nice, some are not nice."